Long Term Goodness
by Caitirin
Summary: Is preventing evil and necessary evil in and of itself? Aziraphale and Crowley and some lunch.


Aziraphale stared at the man with what could only be described as a puzzled look. "You want what?"

The masked man seemed to be a little unnerved and he shoved the gun towards Aziraphale. "I said... Give me all your money or I blow your fucking brains out!" The man in the mask suddenly felt very bad about swearing and wondered if he was losing his mind.

Aziraphale, who had not yet set down the book he had been reading, frowned a little bit. "Good sir, there is no need to speak so roughly. If you would be so good as to tell me what you wanted the money for and put that firearm away then we might be able to speak like intelligent beings."

The masked man started to feel like the entire business of holding up stores just really wasn't quite his thing. He could get a decent job and it would be much safer. Right. That was what he was going to do. Forget about this whole thing. "Errr, never mind. I'll just be going then." He put the gun away and walked confusedly out of the story. "Ergh. Sorry about the bother, mister."

Aziraphale smiled as he left and went back to reading. Moments later, as if on call, The Adversary appeared.

"Good to know you still think of me in capitol letters." Crowley said as he sat down on Aziraphale's counter.

"Please don't sit on the counter, Crowley, I have chairs." Aziraphale said by way of greeting. He did set down his book for Crowley though.

"I'm a demon, Angel. I break rules, that's my modus operandi." Crowley smiled, looking over his sunglasses.

"Did I mention the chair?"

Crowley moved to the chair. "Why do you let thugs like that come into here anyway? You don't have to deal with things like that and I know you've got security systems. Why not get him thrown in jail. Doesn't your side like that whole 'punishing sinners' thing?"

Aziraphale folded his hands and looked at Crowley. "I feel we're moving towards a more 'reforming' approach. If I had sent that man off to jail he would have become hardened and bitter and far more likely to commit further acts of aggression which could harm innocents. Now he will go home and think things over. He'll get a decent job and start working for a living. He will be an example to his children and eventually they'll grow up and become exemplary human beings. It's a slow acting positive measure."

"Except that I had him hit by a car on his way home. Thereby causing him to be permanently disabled and another person's insurance ruined and two other cars to be damaged in the process."

"Crowley, you didn't!" Aziraphale stood up dismayed.

Crowley laughed. "No. I didn't, but it would have been really evil if I had. But I wouldn't break The Agreement. But don't you get bored waiting and waiting for these things to happen? Don't you really want some instant gratification?"

"Instant gratification is your bag I believe, Crowley. Patience is ineffable. I can wait."

"Well I can't. Come and have lunch with me. It's been a hundred years."

"One hundred and sixty four actually." Aziraphale remarked. "I really shouldn't. I have things that need to be done and I can't make a habit of having lunch with you all the time. It's not really a good practice for angels to consort with demons."

"Who said anything about consorting. You've got a dirty mind. I said lunch."

Aziraphale blushed.

Crowley took great delight in making him color that way. "And anyway, your work can wait. You just said you were good at waiting. So come and have lunch with me or I'll have to be out all afternoon working evil and leading men astray. It's a working lunch, thwarting The Adversary."

"How is it that you always manage to turn my arguments around on me?" Aziraphale said smiling.

"I'm a demon, that's what I do."

Aziraphale shook his head. "Well I suppose I have no choice, I can't have you working evil all afternoon if I can prevent it."

Crowley smiled triumphantly. "Excellent. I already made reservations."

"You planned this all along, you evil creature."

"Always, my dear Angel.


End file.
